Welcome to Cultural Bites

Our culinary journey starts here ...

Cultural Bites with Ruth Nieman is a food and drink newsletter, packed with the cultural flavours of Israel’s eclectic cuisine, through the eyes and palates of home cooks, chefs, bakers, wine makers, food and drink writers, artisan producers and me.

I started my culinary journey and love affair with the fresh tasting, healthy food of the Middle East as a young woman, working in the kitchens of a large kibbutz in the Galilee, the fertile area of northern Israel. It was during those early years, that I discovered the rich flavours of a cuisine, influenced by history, beliefs and tradition and the food memories, upbringing and experiences of its diverse population.

I returned to the UK, following my vocation to become a nurse. I worked in the NHS for many years, until the food world beckoned again, and I embarked on a Diploma in Food and Wine at the highly acclaimed Leith’s Cookery School. This propelled me into business and the success of running a catering company, where healthy, fresh menus were devised, prepared, cooked and delivered for all occasions, packed full of rich flavours and fragrant spicing from the Middle East.

Turning my hand to writing about this eclectic cuisine and its cultural influences, led to the publication of my two cookbooks, The Galilean Kitchen and Freekeh, Wild Wheat & Ancient Grains, both focusing on the culture, heritage, biblical links and the indigenous ingredients from this ancient land.

Cultural Bites is the continuation of my culinary journey and the start of yours. Together we will roam the lush landscape, connect with locals, food and drink innovators and experts, cook in the kitchens of both domestic and professional eateries and amble through wineries and markets, sharing tables and conversations from a land overflowing with flavours and traditions.

We are on our way, and I hope you have a hearty appetite for what’s to come…

Enjoy!